Remains of the Day
by Lingren
Summary: The original SG-1 had been declared dead a long time ago, but what really happened to the now legendary team? Please note that this was actually written before the replicators/Ori/Alliance and other enemies had appeared on our screens
1. Chapter 1

_Hi all, I know it's been a long time since I posted anything. Sorry to keep you all hanging like that. My muse went away for a long time but I'm hoping it's back now. I've just finished editing this completed story for you to read. It's another **old** one that has been around for a while though has not posted onto this site before._

_I'd like to say a big thank you to my readers who have reviewed my work in the past. I do appreciated any FB that is sent my way. Thanks!_

_So, I hope you will all enjoy this oldie of mine. Slightly edited and hopefully corrected any mistakes at the same time I hope I haven't made any new ones!_

**Remains of the Day.**

Author: Lingren.

Category: Angst, **AU**, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, POV, Romance, Smarm.

Pairings: Jack/Sam, Daniel/Other.

Season: **Future ALTERNATE UNIVERSE Story**.

Spoilers: Children of the Gods,

Warnings: Character Deaths. Big Tissue warning! Remember though, this is an **AU** story so our own lovable SG-1 characters remain unharmed and intact!

Summary: The original SG-1 had been declared dead a long time ago, but what really happened to the now legendary team? (Please note that this was actually written before the replicators/Ori/Alliance and other enemies had appeared on our screens)

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1. No copyright infringements intended. Just borrowing the characters for a little fun, fantasy and imagination.

**Chapter One** – An Unexpected Stopover

The huge spacecraft landed gently amid a cloud of dust on a remote planet. It had been forced to land there by bad luck or whatever Karma had decreed its presence was warranted. Repairs had to be made whether they liked it or not.

It was a sight to behold for all the villagers in attendance except for one who suspected history had finally caught up with itself. The arrival of a spaceship had long been predicted but the wait had been far too long. Many of the younger natives now crowded around the craft in awe, but kept their distance now that the metal outer door had disappeared inwards to reveal the alien grey interior.

Orders were barked and the armed crew inside stepped away from the opening to allow the four olive clad figures to stomp down the ramp and take their first reconnaissance of the area. The security team followed them and took up positions to keep watch on the unknown crowd. Always alert for hidden dangers despite the war against the Goa'uld having been won many years ago.

The planet on which they'd landed wasn't on the Abydos cartouche, neither was it listed among those downloaded by the late Colonel O'Neill when his mind had been taken over by the first 'Ancients' repository of knowledge. In fact, according to the data collected before the decision to land had been made, it didn't appear to have a Stargate at all.

The readouts had predicted a peaceful looking world filled with lush green trees, there were meadows with cattle or domesticated beasts as well as crops which were growing in tilled areas. There were snow capped mountains which glinted in the sunlight over purple mounds in the distance. The sky was a deep azure with white fluffy cotton clouds dotted here and there against it. The air was warm and pleasant, and though the natives gazed at them in wonder, some, the USAF Colonel noted, held a knowing look that belied their simple appearance.

The tall, lean commander had missed nothing as he scanned the crowd, pinpointing one man who had been watching them closely.

"Good luck Colonel," a voice behind him called and he turned to give a brief wave to the ship's captain before he stepped warily towards the native populous.

"Keep the light on guys, we'll be seeing you later!" he called back over his shoulder.

"So," he said to his team, "let's go make nice with the natives."

SG-1 moved forward until they came face to face with several armed men. Their weapons familiar yet... they were slightly old fashioned looking but definitely different in some unknown way to what the SGC used in the field nowadays.

"We...er...we come in peace. We're from a planet called Earth," the linguist of the team stated, wondering if these folks spoke English or whether he would be called upon to interpret a new language as was often the case.

"Then we offer you greetings and bid you welcome, strangers. It has been many decades since the last friendly strangers set foot upon our fair world. Long before I or my brethren were born." The young man, who - now upon closer inspection looked to be around 17 or 18 years of age – and the one the colonel had picked out as the leader, spoke; his accented voice rich in tone but nevertheless, hospitable.

He wore simple homespun breeches topped by a loose shirt which was covered by a multi-pocketed leather jerkin. There were long knitted socks with tough skin boots which covered his lower legs and feet. They were all dressed in a similar fashion though there was something about the man, that spoke of casual elegance and grace. His lean figure was muscular and lithe and when he moved, his body seemed to glide over the ground. His deep brown eyes fixed the Colonel with a suppressed glint that oozed warmth and humour as well as suspicion. The colonel deemed him as an old head on young shoulders as he appeared wiser than his years, and in all probability his senses would prove to be as sharp as a pin, should he test them.

"Please come with us. There is one among us who would be pleased to talk with strangers such as yourselves. The stories of your world will be most welcome to him in contrast to the stories of our ancestry that have grown weary to his mind by their constant telling."

The tall, grey haired Colonel looked across at his team and shrugged, but decided to follow the younger man who now introduced himself when the Colonel caught up with his long strides.

"My name is Dannel and my Grandfather is very old and grows tired of his life among us. His death grows nearer each day and it would please him greatly in his final hours to hear new stories from your world."

"Carter, Daniel, I hope you two can think of something suitable by the time we reach the village," the Colonel said, giving them a quick meaningful glance.

"I'll try, sir, but I'm not the best story teller around here. That would be you, Colonel. I could give him a lecture on Astrophysics but I don't somehow think that he would enjoy that so much," Carter replied rather flippantly with a wide grin.

"The poor guy probably wouldn't know the difference!" Daniel responded in an aside to the Major. "He sounds positively ancient that maybe I should be studying his bones already in the ground, not thinking up stories to send him to his grave with."

Carter giggled earning her a glare from the Colonel again, that said, 'Whatever you do, don't rile the natives. We just got here, for crying out loud!'

After a walk that lasted nearly an hour, they finally entered the village. People came out of their rough brick houses to see the new strangers and to gasp in surprise and wonder when the four team members marched down the street with their young warrior, Dannel.

The native youth led the way to the central cluster of houses and right up to the largest one, set around the focal point or village square. Children played safely on the green sward and the Colonel noticed there were several adults who supervised them as they romped about freely and boisterously. As the four of them watched, somewhere a bell rang and the children then swarmed into a building at the far end of the square.

Dannel watched the four strangers and smiled warmly. Then, at the Colonel's and Carter's unspoken inquiry, he informed them that this was a school day, and the children had once more been summoned to return to their lessons.

Both Carter and Daniel were impressed and even the Colonel looked slightly surprised by this revelation. It was so similar to Earth's customs, that they could almost believe they were back home if it wasn't for the homespun clothes.

A younger man came running from the house and whispered into Dannel's ear. Who then smiled and nodded in exchange with the child before the latter disappeared once more.

"Come, my Grandfather grows eager to meet with you." Dannel said with a smile.

The Colonel cast her a suspicious look when Carter gasped an "Oh boy!" as if she was out of breath. He sighed in reluctant acceptance of his Major's acknowledgement, that this young warrior was... kinda handsome when he smiled. Her reaction made him feel old, and long past his retirement.

Carter then blushed under her CO's scrutiny which only made him react with a wry grin at her apparent confusion, it wasn't often anyone got through the outer reaches of Carter's more pragmatically scientific shell.

_Oooh... If only she were younger,_ she sighed inwardly.

However, the Colonel, who was not one to be swayed by outward appearances, pulled her up with a single word, and an unspoken warning to be on the alert....

"Carter!"

TBC


	2. Chapter 2 Meeting & Greeting

_Thank you all for such a lovely welcome back! It's nice to know I've been missed. And, my thanks go to all of you who read the first chapter and to those who it reviewed, too._

_I hope you will like the second chapter as much._

**Remains of the Day.**

Author: Lingren.

_Previously: _

Carter then blushed under her CO's scrutiny which only made him react with a wry grin at her apparent confusion. It wasn't everyday that someone got through the outer reaches of Carter's more pragmatically scientific shell.

_Oooh... If only she were younger,_ she sighed inwardly.

However, the Colonel was not one to be swayed by outward appearances, pulled her up with a single word, and an unspoken warning to be on the alert....

"Carter!"

**Chapter 2** – Meeting & Greeting

They followed Dannel into the low-beamed house where, inside, they saw it was simply furnished with a table and chairs at one end, and a bed at the far end, near to a slow-burning fire. The frail looking old man lay propped up by several cushions on a high, narrow cot and with a multicoloured blanket draped comfortably over his lower-half. Alert brown eyes sparkled in a wrinkled face beneath a shock of long, straggly, white hair and beard in stark contrast to the fragile condition of his body.

SG-1 made their way towards him after being pressured by Dannel and were invited to sit down closer to where his grandfather rested. They took up their places on the shaggy woollen rug that covered a well-worn wooden floor and sat crossed legged around him, as were the other villagers who had gathered around the old timer to listen to the stories the strangers had to tell.

"So..." the old man spoke huskily, "...you're from the planet called Earth?"

"That's right. We're peaceful explorers," Daniel explained gently.

The old man fixed him with an eagle glare.

"And who might you be, young man?" the old man asked, piercing him with hooded eyes.

"My name is Daniel, sir, I'm a part of a team called SG-1."

"Oh! You are, are you? For how long have you been on that team?"

"I...er...I joined the team about ten years ago," he replied uncomfortably.

"Really? And who might you be?" he continued asking direct questions but now focussed on the Colonel.

"Colonel Grogan, sir. Pleased to meet you."

The old man huffed and turned to the others to study them further. Grogan picked up on the introductions.

"That's Major Lisa Carter, our science officer," he said watching with amusement as she squirmed under the old man's intense gaze, "and my second, and this is Captain Tessa Browning. You've already spoken to Dr. Daniel Hanna our linguist.

The old man sat silent for a moment with his eyes closed and the team glanced at each other wondering if he'd fallen asleep on them. Dannel leaned over and whispered into the Colonel's ear.

"Don't let him fool you into thinking he's gone to sleep. His wits are a sharp as ever I can recall," he said with a wide grin.

"Ha!" shouted the old man and opened his eyes again, giving them a stern look over again. His sharp eyes tracked them from top to toe and made them feel awkward under the intense observation.

"So you're Lisa Carter?" he mused, "and Tessa Browning." His bony hand reached up to scratch at his whiskers. I knew a Carter once and a Tessa! I know a Lisa, too," he smiled wistfully, drawing his own thoughts in on himself.

All eyes flew to his. _How was this possible?_ the Colonel wondered. _Was the old man just being lost in the fantasies of his mind? Or did they have similar names here, too, like they had on Earth? Though, don't recall anyone called Dannel?_

"How…?" Daniel began, putting into words the others' thoughts.

The old man ignored the question, asking one of his own instead.

"So, young man," he said looking straight at Grogan, who visibly preened at the use of the words 'young man', "How long have you commanded this... SG-1?"

"I took over from Colonel Dixon on his retirement long after he had been given the newly formed SG-1 when the original team disappeared. I've been leading Earth's premier team for almost 20 years."

"That long? Hmmm. Disappeared, you say?"

"Yes, sir. They were sent on what they believed was a routine mission. One from which they never returned. We sent out search parties over the following year but they were never found. To this day, nobody knows whatever happened to them. It's just one of the risks we take on a daily basis."

"Tell me what happened afterwards?" the old man asked quickly, eager to hear.

Colonel Grogan glanced over at Dannel and sighed. It wasn't quite the story they had in mind to tell, but, it would do, he supposed.

"There's really not much to tell. They're a legend in the halls of the SGC and the base went into mourning for a whole week after they were officially listed as dead. We could only presume that they had been killed in action after being missing for such a long time. The original SG-1 team, which consisted of Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson and the Jaffa warrior, Teal'c, had gated to a planet that was, up to that point in time, supposedly devoid of human activity but rich in a mineral that we needed badly...."

Colonel Grogan's voice droned on and the village patriarch and his people sat quietly listening, hanging on to his every word.

"...After they hadn't made contact with the SGC for 48 hours, General Hammond, our first Commander, sent through SG's 2 and 3 to search for them. They found a few scattered items that SG-1 had left behind but there was no physical sign of them, save a patch of blood on the ground where someone had obviously been injured. It turned out to be a perfect match of Colonel O'Neill's DNA, but we could only speculate on what had happened to him and his team. Over a six month period the Search and Rescue teams we sent out, combed that entire planet with the help of our allies, but were nowhere nearer to finding them than they were before. A few months later the members of SG-1 were all officially declared dead and the search called off." He finished with a heavy sigh, still recalling that dreadful time. The heart of the SGC had been torn out and it took a long time for the whole base to move on again afterwards. Some left the programme unable to come to terms with losing their friends, while others continued to unofficially search while on normal missions. He remembered the incident so well, almost as if it happened yesterday.

Grogan looked up and was startled to see moisture leaking from the old man's eyes. He didn't think the story was that sad. Well, yeah, okay, it didn't have a happy ending, but then, nobody could finish the story of the original team as nothing had been seen or heard from them all this time, and it had been quite a number of years now; decades in fact. He recalled his first meeting with Colonel Jack O'Neill many years before as a young 'wet-behind-the-ears' Lieutenant undergoing his special SGC training with the great man himself; a hard task-master but a fair man nonetheless, and coupled with a sense of humour which most of the other senior officers lacked.

Dannel stood up and went to his grandfather's side, to place a hand on his arm, patting it affectionately.

It was easy to see that this man was greatly revered by his family and the rest of the villagers. Grogan looked away and discovered that the room was full to bursting with everyone from the old to the very young, and all had been listening to the story with interest. Some of the elderly in the room behind him also had tears in their eyes but merely smiled as they studied the man sitting quietly on his cot digesting the tale.

The Colonel felt slightly at a loss as to what he should do, and gazed around the room at the articles that summed up this man's life. A simple carved wooden desk stood in one corner, overflowing with what looked like hand written journals and papers. His eyes drifted further and he discovered a pair of home-made crutches leaning against one end of the cot, and it was then that he realised that the strange shape of the man's covered legs indicated that he was lame, and by the look of it, he was actually missing maybe a... foot?

Grogan shifted his gaze uncomfortably not wishing to be caught staring and they settled on a crude wheelchair set behind the dresser in the far corner. It was no wonder the old man lived for his stories; what else would there be for him to do except amuse the children?

TBC


	3. Chapter 3 Stranger Than Fiction

_Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. Really glad to know that you're enjoying this. That said, here's the next part for you to enjoy._

**Remains of the Day.**

Author: Lingren.

_Previously:_

Grogan shifted his gaze uncomfortably not wishing to be caught staring and it settled on a crude wheelchair set behind the dresser in the far corner. It was no wonder the old man lived for his stories; what else would there be for him to do except amuse the children?

**Chapter 3** – Stranger Than Fiction

"Father?"

A feminine voice had startled Grogan from his wandering thoughts and he looked up to see a fair haired woman, perhaps in her late thirties, kneeling by the old man's side.

He watched as the old man reached out a shaky hand to place it on top of hers and smiled warmly, his watery eyes full of affection for his daughter.

"I'm okay, Gracie. It's just..." his soft voice trailed off somewhere into his dreams and his daughter squeezed his hand tenderly, tears in her own eyes at his reticence to say what needed to be said.

Grogan turned his attention elsewhere in an attempt at allowing them some privacy, again.

Gracie held onto her father's hands when he finally spoke.

"It's them, Gracie," he whispered softly.

"I know father. I know," she whispered back. She turned to the team members who had now risen to stretch their legs, ready to take their leave.

Grogan nodded to her. "I think we should go now, Ma'am, and leave you kind folks to your more obvious personal needs," he stated, beginning to feel he'd outstayed his welcome. He felt like an intruder in watching such an intimate moment for the family.

Here they were, preparing to lose someone evidently so dear to them and Grogan could only empathize with them. In fact it looked as if the whole village was hovering, waiting, for the impending death of its much revered patriarch. He would not stay longer when the natives here had precious little time left to say their goodbyes. It was just a shame that they hadn't been able to chat with the old man for longer. He was sure he would have many an interesting story to share with the team.

They moved as one offering their sympathy as well as thanks before taking their leave. However, the team were stopped before they could make their exit by a shrill cry.

"No!" cried the old man in agitation, unwilling for them to leave just yet. "Not yet! Please...!" He needed to hear more. He wasn't ready to give up his life just yet. The only thing he needed was a little privacy with his family and these people. These so called strangers from Earth.

"Papa, please! Calm down," urged Gracie in fear that the excitement may end his life there and then.

"I am calm," he grumbled, "Stop fussing, woman!" His grouching and antics elicited smirks from each of the team members.

"I'll only stop fussing over you when you actually die and not before, Papa!" she glowered back at his scowl, obviously used to his ill temper.

He cackled loudly which drew an amused shake of the head and a smirk from his daughter.

"Okay, already. I'm calm," he grumbled with a wry grin, which negated his harsh words.

Dannel and Gracie then drew some of the dining chairs from the other end of the room and bade their guests to sit more comfortably, while ushering the local crowd out for privacy.

"Tell me more," the patriarch begged.

"About what, sir?" Daniel asked. "SG-1 or the SGC or... what we do for a living?"

"The SGC. What happened to this General Hammond? You said he was the first commander?"

"He was my Grandfather, sir," Tessa spoke up quietly.

"You're Tessa?"

"Yes, sir. I am."

"What happened to him... to the General?"

"He died a long time ago now, sir. He never really got over SG-1's disappearance. It broke him and he took immediate retirement. He was never the same after that. My Mom nursed him when he got sick, but he died later that same year."

"I'm sorry," the old man choked, his eyes brimming with tears now, "I'm really sorry," he cried in distress.

His daughter was there along with Dannel to comfort him and each gave the other a saddened look. His time with them was drawing to a close. They could sense it, he was growing more melancholy by the hour. Gracie was undecided whether she wanted him to hear more, but he insisted that he was just tired and needed to hear the rest of the story from these people.

"Is he okay, ma'am?" Tessa asked, her own voice heavy with sadness even though the tragedy of her Grandfather's death had been many years ago. She had grown older and now had her own grown-up family who possessed a loving grandpa of their own and who in return doted on the children. "I...I really didn't mean to upset him so."

A hand on her arm startled her and she spun round to stand facing a young girl, who smiled up at her.

"Please. Grampa will be okay. He just gets a little emotional every now and then. It's his age you know. He'll be fine, just give him a minute or two," she said knowingly.

Tessa and the others stared at her and she just grinned back. The smile was just like the one that her Grandfather had given them on their arrival, so they knew straightaway that she was definitely related to the old man.

"I'm Lisa," she said smiling broadly, shedding a light on her grandfather's recognition of the name.

"Hi! Are there any more of you around?" Lisa Carter asked curiously.

"There's only one of me, and Grampa says, 'that's plenty, thank goodness'," she sniggered.

They laughed with her and took in her torn pants and ragged appearance and couldn't help but agree with her Grandfather. She looked a real mischief maker and was probably the bane of her mother's existence.

"I have an older brother though, and Dannel's my cousin."

A boy of similar age but obviously slightly taller wandered over and scowled down at her.

"His name's Kirk, and he's a wimp!" she crowed with glee.

"I could beat you any day, wuss..." he began but was stopped by a stern voice behind him which resulted in him exhaling a deep breath in frustration.

"Kirk! Stop teasing your sister. I told you two to be quiet. Grampa is sick. Now scat!"

The adult, obviously the children's father, walked up to them and shooed the children away.

"I'm sorry about that. Kids will be kids," he apologised. "They don't really understand. I'm Jake," he said, introducing himself. "My Father tends to let his mind wander these days and his memory runs away with him. He's well into his nineties now and knows his time is almost up." He said somewhat matter-of-factly as he turned to look at the old man for a moment or two. Abruptly, he then switched his attention back to the team. "So, you're from Earth!" he stated, rather than asked. "Well, well, what d'ya know," he sighed. "It's about time, is all I can say. And you're long overdue, too!" he uttered rudely before turning his back on them and walking away shaking his head.

Grogan exchanged puzzled looks with the rest of his team and shrugged. This was certainly turning out to be 'different' to anything they'd encountered previously on any mission. A strange people these were for sure.

Dannel left his Grandfather's side and crossed the room to the desk, where he picked up several books and came back to his mother's side.

"All of these, mother?"

Gracie took them into her hands and glanced through each of them quickly, and nodded.

"Yes, these are the ones," she said turning to her father, and placed them gently into his shaking hands.

Grogan and his team looked on with curiosity. As they watched, the old man took one of the four volumes in his hands then caressed each of the books lovingly, as if they were old friends. He turned the cover on the topmost book and ran his shaky fingers over the first page of what looked like handsome script, lingering on the name for a moment before he closed the book again reverently.

Dannel carefully wrapped all of them in a thick, dark red cloth cover and tied it securely with some twine, then Gracie called Grogan over to her father's side.

The old man looked up at the tall officer and smiled weakly, then surprised Grogan by taking his hand and holding it for a brief moment. He drank in the sight of the SG team, committing each of their faces to memory. He pushed the bundle into Grogan's hands, making sure he had them safe.

"Take them; read them!" the old man insisted. "Take them home."

"Sir, I... I couldn't possibly do that. These are your books, you might need them. They are obviously precious to your memory, sir. I couldn't take them away from you."

"Don't argue with me, son! Take them!" he ordered gruffly. "They belong to the SGC now. Go! Read and... understand," he added more insistently, not taking no for an answer.

Grogan looked down at the pathetic bundle and smiled back at the old man's generous gift, though he was greatly puzzled by the gesture and the words.

"I will do that, sir, if you insist. I promise."

"Forgive me, Tessa, Lisa?" he rasped, his voice growing weaker.

They nodded together, even though they were both mystified as to why he should feel they needed to forgive him.

"Thank you!" he sighed, closing his eyes in sleep. He could rest easy now. It was over. It had been a long time in coming but the deed was done at long last.

Dannel showed them the way back to the clearing where they found the ship's Captain waiting impatiently for their return. The ship's master hadn't had any contact with the team for over several hours and he was about to organise a search party for them.

They each thanked Dannel for his time and expressed hope that they might once again be welcomed should they find their way back here.

"My Grandfather had decided many years ago, that you should know the truth. Read and may your god go with you; for he will open your eyes this night. My Grandfather has paid his penance and now that his duty is done it is time for him to pass on."

"Thank you Dannel. Your Grandfather is most generous and kind. We will remember him with fondness," Daniel assured him, though Dannel's words were strange and incomprehensible to them all as yet. He hoped that the books might shed some light on the strangeness here.

"Yes, dear friends, you will remember him; I guarantee it," he said enigmatically with a smile. "Go in peace!"

Grogan and the others watched in wonder as Dannel turned and walked back towards his home. The Colonel was thinking over the events of the day with the old man and his family. He supposed the books in his hand contained the history of those in the village and sighed. It looked like it was going to be a long and perhaps boring journey home, ahead of him.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4 Revelations

_I'm relieved to know that you all seem to be enjoying this story. I hope this next chapter is up to your expectations, too. Thanks as always for your wonderful reviews. It helps spur me on. Thanks!_

**Remains of the Day.**

Author: Lingren.

_Previously:_

Grogan and the others watched in wonder as Dannel turned and walked back towards his home. The Colonel was thinking over the events of the day with the old man and his family. He supposed the books in his hand contained the history of those in the village and sighed. It looked like it was going to be a long, and perhaps, boring night ahead of him.

**Chapter 4** – Revelations

"How much longer will those repairs take, Captain?" Grogan asked when he was told that there had been a further malfunction in one of the engines and that he needed to do this before they could return home to Earth.

"About another couple of hours at least, Colonel. I'm sorry, we had no idea of how this happened. I've got everybody that's available, working on it."

"That's okay. No problem," he responded with a shrug, "I got plenty to read in the meantime," he sighed, holding up the bundle of books in his hand.

The rest of the team grinned and followed him to their rest room to pass the time away until they could continue on their journey.

Grogan made himself as comfortable as possible under the circumstances and then untied the string from around the folded cloth that covered the books. A moment later, he unwrapped the four leather bound volumes. The covers were neat and hand-made but well worn with use. Someone had read these books, and quite often, too, and he guessed that their pages held something that the old man had treasured above all else.

"Happy reading, Colonel!" Lisa piped up, settling in with a novel which she'd brought along. The Tessa giggled and Grogan sighed, pulling a face as he opened the first cover to reveal a page of thick creamy coloured parchment, ignoring Daniel's curiosity.

The writing was small and neat, written with obvious care and still perfectly legible.

The contents on the first page arrested Grogan's interest straight away. He couldn't believe his eyes, and gasped out loud, but quickly read on engrossed by the message it held while the rest of the team could only shrug and glance at each other in confusion.

_**This is the Journal of Daniel Jackson.**_

_**P3X 577 January 2000**_

"Colonel?"

"Is there a problem, Sir?"

Grogan looked up in confusion. "What?"

"Is there something wrong with that book? You seemed startled."

"Oh, no. It's fine." With that he went back to reading the neatly written notes.

_**January 23 **_

_**We've already been here for two days and have found nothing of interest to any of us. Absolutely zilch, as Jack was fond of saying. Nadda. Zero. Usually, I can't help smiling at his childlike exuberance, but these feel far removed from normal circumstances, so he seems to have lost that capacity to poke fun at anything. This place is decidedly not his favourite planet, nor ours either, come to that. Even we are beginning to feel uncomfortable. That could be Jack's fault of course, but we're taking extra precautions. Much more than we usually do for a deserted world.**_

_**We searched every inch of this area today but still came up empty handed. Sam took some more of her soil samples as usual but even they held little promise, she said over our late meal when we all discussed the day's findings. Jack was bored – as he always is on planets where there's little or no action for him in which to participate - and he's told us that we should move on further into the interior tomorrow. For tonight though, we're gonna camp here as time is against us. It gets dark pretty early on this planet and almost as quickly as if someone had turned out the lights.**_

_**Maybe it's me, but I think Jack seems to be spooked by something out there in the bushes, he's not relaxing as much as he normally would under the circumstances. He won't admit that anything is bothering him, but that's nothing new. If only he would open up to me or Teal'c or even Sam for that matter, but he won't do that either. He can be a real stubborn SOB on occasions.**_

_**Well, it's a little later now, but I finally managed to get Jack to talk. He was reluctant, at first, to voice his feelings – as always - but he said he has this creepy feeling that something bad is gonna happen and real soon. I can't sense any impending doom here, and neither can Teal'c. Jack, however, insists that the radar hairs on the back of his neck are prickling like crazy and sending out dangerously bad vibes and to keep extra vigilant when we're on watch tonight.**_

_**January 25**_

_**Well, the next day we moved nearer the mountains hoping to find that elusive crock of gold in 'them there hills' but found nothing - again. Jack is getting seriously nervous. Just sitting here watching him pace the perimeter of the camp now that it's getting late is enough to set us all on edge. I have a feeling that we'll be packing it up and heading home tomorrow at the latest. We'd be on our way now, but it's as black as pitch out there and he doesn't want any of us having a mishap... especially him. Apparently, Janet has his name on a jumbo sized syringe in readiness to use on him if he or any of the team goes back injured in any way. And all because she accidently overheard his rather derogatory comment after our extremely thorough physical examinations last week. For a big strong Colonel he sure doesn't like anything remotely medical, and Janet in a bad mood is a particularly scary thing to behold. It's time I closed this for tonight, it's my turn to get some sleep. I think Jack takes a perverse pleasure in assigning me to the early morning shift... he knows full well I'm not a morning person.**_

Grogan paused. The entries suddenly stopped and he had to flip over several empty pages eagerly looking for the next part. The question uppermost in his mind at the moment was how the heck had the old man come by these journals? What had really happened on that planet? He suspected it wasn't a good sign given that they were all expecting trouble. He turned another page and relief flooded him when he saw the filled page. Enthusiastically, he read on.

_**March 2000**_

_**I'm not sure exactly how many days have passed by, but I'm pretty sure we should be about half way through March by now. **_

_**I have to write this down; about everything that has happened to us. You never know if it will provide someone with evidence as to our fate. This may be the only thing that explains everything. Suffice it to say that I infinitely believe this is important and could put the commander of the SGC – whoever it may be - in the picture about our 'disappearance'. I can't ever see a way off this planet. We're stranded until someone actually comes looking, which is pretty much a non-existent hope because nobody knows where we are, not even ourselves.**_

_**As I write all this down, Sam is tending to Jack yet again. His fever is high; too high, and he's suffering a great deal with his leg. Anyway, I'm getting way ahead of myself, so here I must stop and try to explain everything from the beginning.... **_

_**As I mentioned in the previous entry, we were camped down by the river on P3X 577. It was our forth night on the planet and Jack was getting really antsy by then. I tried my best to calm him down, not that he was that bad, but he wanted to return home early the next day. He'd had enough of being spooked! We were going home empty handed as well as disappointed. The 'Powers-that-be' were so not going to be happy with us after the SGC's recent missions had yielded not even an inch of technology. It wasn't our fault that these so-called future allies withheld their technological advances. Sorry, I digress... back to the sordid tale....**_

_**It was in the early hours they struck. A horde of, well, whatever they were, Space Pirates, Bandits, who knows what they were? They attacked us and before we knew it we were standing back to back with little or no hope of escape. Jack as usual tried to be his usual brash self and gave some lip to the leader who didn't take too kindly to being belittled in front of his men. Jack, as you may well know, has this habit of inserting his foot where his mouth is and getting punished for it or, on occasion, we were the ones on the receiving end of said punishment. I think he did it initially in the hope of them taking their interest away from us, and Sam in particular. His notions of saving her were no different from ours. Teal'c and I would never wish to see her compromised or abused because she is a woman, despite being as good a soldier as any of the other guys on the base. She didn't like the implication, but accepted Jack's orders no matter how bad it made her feel. We were all perfectly aware of what could happen to her if they discovered that she was a woman and then decided to lay their hands on her. This time though, Jack had quite literally bitten off more than he could chew. **_

_**The man, the leader or whatever he called himself, actually towered over Jack, and ordered his men to hold him while he struck him several times; fierce blows rained down on him rendering him unconscious for a long time. They tied us up, and we were made to sit beside him to await his recovery. While we sat there anxiously waiting for him to wake up, they went through everything we possessed, including my journals. I'm just relieved they left them all intact, along with my supply of pencils. I don't think they really knew what writing was... at least, not the style we use today.**_

_**As soon as Jack had stirred, they ordered us to carry him. Poor Jack couldn't walk or at least that's what he wanted them to think, so we slung him between us, Teal'c and I, and started walking as ordered. Jack was suffering, of that I am sure, but, as always, he was ready and willing to attempt an escape. When the guards had thinned out a little we made a break for it. He ordered Sam to run, with us following and him bringing up the rear. All went well until they caught up with Jack who was slower than usual for obvious reasons after his beating. They opened fire with their primitive weapons. I heard a shot and then Jack's agonised yell as he collapsed in pain, holding his ankle. I had to stop. There was no way I was leaving him behind. The others did, too. We all hurried back to his side where we were immediately surrounded again. **_

_**The leader gloated and spat on Jack for his attempt to lead us to freedom. Making a quick decision, he made sure that Jack would never be able to lead us anywhere again. I can still hear Jack's shriek of agony in my head as it echoed round the landscape before he mercifully passed out. Sam struggled with her captor for a moment, and once allowed free, she was beside him in an instant, trying to stop him bleeding to death. The outcome of those next shots was the last thing Jack had ever expected, let alone wanted, or for that matter the last thing we had wanted him to go through. Assured of our loyalty, I have to admit that he bore it all with a fortitude that made us, his team, proud to have him as a friend. It was touch and go with him at first, though; it still is as I write this entry into my journal. So far he has survived but it was only with the help of these kind and generous natives that made it at all possible. In these primitive conditions it's a miracle that he is still with us. **_

_**July 2000**_

_**I must finish writing this report. I've been so busy of late, but I have found some time to write all this down at last, and I'm getting ahead of myself, yet again. **_

_**The evil bastards – because that's the only polite thing I can think of calling them - then forced us onto their spaceship and flew off into the night sky to god knows where. Nobody seemed to want to be burdened with us wherever we went. We were too hot to handle for some, and nobody wanted to deal with the Goa'uld. One look at Jack who, as far as we were concerned would probably only have last another day or two at most, the potential buyers quickly dropped out of the bargaining. The bandits did the only thing they could think of after that. They stopped at the nearest planet and threw us out of their transport before taking off again, abandoning us, here. That's when we met up with these wonderful people.**_

_**Teal'c and I searched this planet over and over while Sam stayed behind to nurse Jack. He was really weak which was hardly surprising after all he'd gone through. He was despondent at first and who could blame him? Those 'animals' had left him forever crippled. Having shot his ankle clear through three times, his right foot had to be amputated. There was no way around it, it was practically hanging off anyway and Sam had been assured that it would only kill him sooner if not dealt with straight away. Jack hadn't been consulted as he was far too sick to understand what was going on, but he did resent it, and us, for allowing him to live when he'd recovered a little to realise what had been done to him. It could very well be years before he comes to appreciate the awful decision that Sam had made on his behalf.**_

Grogan's head shot up in realisation when he recalled the old man and did a rough calculation in his head. If the original team had returned to Earth then Colonel O'Neill would indeed be a very old man by now - if he had survived that is.

Could that strange old man be the missing Colonel O'Neill? Coincidence... could there be someone of similar likeness? Not likely, but... given the circumstances, he was pretty damn sure the two were the same man. There was nothing else for it, he had to know for sure! With those thoughts in mind, he skipped a few more entries, jumping ahead a few years, eager to learn the true fate of O'Neill and the rest of the team.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5 Happiness & Heartache

_Once again I have to say a huge thank you for the review you are sending me. I am touched by your enthusiasm to read more. And on that note, her's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy this, too. Thanks again! Hugz to all!_

**Remains of the Day.**

Author: Lingren.

_Previously:_

Could that strange old man be the missing Colonel O'Neill? Coincidence... could there be someone of similar likeness? Not likely, but... given the circumstances, he was pretty damn sure the two were the same man. There was nothing else for it, he had to know for sure! With those thoughts in mind, he skipped a few more entries, jumping ahead a few years, eager to learn the true fate of O'Neill and the rest of the team.

**Chapter 5** – Happiness & Heartache

"_**June 2007 by my calculations." **_The heading read, and Grogan read on, eagerly.

_**I regret that it's been a long while since I wrote in this journal. Too long really, but we've all been so busy making new lives for ourselves, that this once daily ritual was badly neglected by me.**_

_**The people of Nandir have come together today to celebrate the birth of Jack and Sam's second child. A son, Jake Jonathon; named after Sam's father of course, Jacob Carter, and Jack, taking his real name of Jonathon. Naturally, Jack is over the moon, and who could blame him? He said if it wasn't for his damned missing foot, his world would have been complete. Their daughter, Grace Samantha, who is now a lively 2 year old, is so cute, she has her mother's smile and colouring but Jack's deep set eyes. I've never seen Sam so happy. She and Jack have made a good life together, and I hope nothing bad ever comes along to ruin it for them. They deserve this. They waited long enough for a rescue party to arrive from home, and stoically bore the pain when none came. **_

_**Being stranded out here has never really bothered me, though. I've lived on an alien planet for a year before that with my beloved Sha're.... I often wonder whatever had happened to her over the years since she was taken from me. Was she still locked away inside Amounet? Had she been freed? Most of all I wonder if she had ever returned to Abydos? If that was so, I wonder what it must have felt like to return home only to find I've been declared dead... as would be the case after this many years of being MIA. That thought is the most difficult to bear. Having perhaps been freed of the Goa'uld it must have felt terrible. Jack, pragmatic as ever, said, it's all in the past, and we have to look forward now. The past is over, and it is. We've all moved on... I've moved on from that awful time. I now have a beautiful wife and children, too, but that doesn't mean to say I have forgotten everything that Sha're and I shared during our short time together. I can never forget how wonderful she was; so patient and understanding during our first weeks as husband and wife.**_

_**As for Sam and Jack... well, they finally set up home together after waiting for nigh on four years. Jack had recovered well by then and had finally forgiven Sam for making him live instead of letting him die. It took a while and a lot of patience on Sam's part but finally love won through. **_

_**The eventually got married – officially that is - after Sam discovered she was pregnant with their first child who turned out to be Gracie. It was something neither of them had ever thought was possible.**_

_**I have to admit that I am contented and very happy here too. As I mentioned before, I have a loving wife in the form of Lydia, a fair native of Nandir and very pretty she is, too. My son, Nicholas Jack, is taking his first tentative steps towards me as I write this and it feels so good to be a father at long last. I can see why Jack was so enthusiastic about becoming a father all over again. After Charlie he thought he'd never hear himself called Father or Papa again, and now he has, twice over. He's as happy as a dog with two tails. **_

_**Unfortunately, Teal'c had remained on his own until the end. His symbiote matured and Jack was forced to kill it in order to make sure it did no harm to anyone here in this veritable paradise. Teal'c though, didn't survive for much longer after that and succumbed to an early grave, putting a slight dampener on our celebrations. There is no cure that we know of, which ensures a Jaffa can survive without his prim'ta for very long. Maybe by now in the real world they have discovered one but, it's too late for our dear friend Teal'c. **_

_**We missed him at the celebrations, where Jack got a little smashed with all the drinks the other villagers made him 'wet the baby's head' with; a long-standing tradition in these parts as well as on Earth. He had the worst hangover imaginable and Sam wasn't too pleased either when he rolled home worse for wear the next day. I have to confess, I know the feeling well, except that when Nick was born, I was totally out of it for three days. Luckily for me, Lydia had seen it all before, and easily forgave me when I finally woke up. This local hooch is stronger than anything brewed on Abydos, and that's saying something. **_

With growing eagerness to discover more, Grogan scanned ahead quickly once again. This time, leaping forward to 2015 when the first words of a page arrested his mind. The writing was smeared, with what must have been tears. It made reading a little difficult but he felt drawn to know what had caused such emotions to boil over.

_**Christmas 2013, at least that's by my reckoning. It's difficult to keep track of the months and years as they pass. The days are different here and the years shorter.**_

_**Today we buried my daughter, Claire. It's a difficult time, but we hardly got to know her at all. She was barely a month old, but she was a part of us, already filling our lives with joy. She caught one of those unfortunate childhood bugs. One of the many that periodically make the rounds. She caught it from Nick who had been sick for a few days previously and, that was it. With no medicines to speak of, she deteriorated rapidly, too young to fight off the infection. **_

_**Now she's gone and I...we, don't know how to cope anymore. This feels far worse than losing my own parents ever did. How the hell did Jack cope after Charlie? The only answer to that is that he didn't, but lucky for him I was there to help him and he recovered eventually. **_

_**Naturally, Jack is being very supportive and I can now fully appreciate just what he went through after losing his son. It must have been harder for him, though, as Charlie was already 9 years old when he died. Of course the circumstances are very different. Claire was sick whereas Charlie died accidentally; and despite his guilt, Jack wasn't to blame any more than I am for Claire's untimely demise. He and Sam are helping us come to terms with this disaster. I know of nothing that will take away this terrible pain, though Jack assures me it will dull with time. Eventually. He could never forget Charlie just as I will never be able to forget my little darling Claire. Sam also reminded me not to grieve too deeply and to remember that I have two sons who need me. Thank God I still have Nick and Mel to help us recover, and from now on, I will take every day I have with them as an added blessing. **_

_**About January 2014 – I think....**_

_**Gracie is 9. Already! I can't believe it's her birthday today. She grows more like her mother every day. Jack, totally out of character is edgy. Nervous in fact. He lost Charlie when he was 9 and the thought of Gracie perhaps dying at this same age is almost petrifying for him. I keep telling him it won't happen but he can't get it out of his mind. He's being very protective of her and, at this age, she is beginning to find her feet and flouting his authority whenever she can. I can see the sparks flying from here. She is so very headstrong and terribly independent for such a young lady and I know where she gets that from! Jake, at six and a half idolises his sister and wants to copy her every move and now Jack is having a hard time distracting him from the error of her ways. I don't envy him in the least. I thank God daily that my boys are alike in both spirit and actions... preferring school work than adventure - a far cry from Gracie and Jake.**_

Grogan turned the page, then another; the following pages were blank. He flicked through them quickly, searching for the next entry.

It was difficult to understand the feeling of loss when he found nothing further. So, it was with a heavy heart that he picked up the next book where the handwriting was different. The impact of the first few sentences hit him for six; knocking the breath from his lungs as he read on.

_**September 2032 - Ex Captain Samantha Carter is writing this, and I'll explain why below. It actually feels odd writing this under my old name. In the eyes of the law here, I go by Sam O'Neill, which I much prefer. The USAF regulations, that went against Jack and I getting together, have gone by the board now. We gave up on them many years ago, though not for some time after we'd arrived here. And, after what seems a life time ago by today's reckoning, we gave in to our feelings, knowing in our hearts that it was highly unlikely that anyone would come to rescue us.**_

_**I found this journal on my desk today. Lydia, her eyes awash with tears, had placed all four of them there. It's sometimes hard to comprehend that our dear sweet Daniel is dead. Right after his tragic death, Lydia couldn't bear to go through his things and the journals he'd lovingly maintained sat undisturbed on his desk for a long time. I understand what he was trying to achieve in them, so I've decided to fill in a few blanks for the reader – that's if anyone should ever find these books after I'm gone. Let me start by telling you what happened to our Daniel.... **_

_**We live on a peaceful world here. Nandir is a wonderful little village, and we are now very much part of community life hereabouts. Jack was chosen as the new village leader a few years back, and has, so far, done a grand job. The people in the village look up to him. They have a deep respect for him despite his disability. He gets around just fine on his wooden stump these days, though I suspect that as he ages, it will become much harder for him to move as freely as he does now.**_

_**One day, back in the winter of 2027, we – the village - were attacked during the night by unknown bandits. We lost many good people during the raid. It was also the first time we had fought a battle since the night we were captured all those years before. Jack quickly organised everyone and we fought back with what crude weapons we had. After that, Jack had me backwards engineer our old SGC weapons and, in consultation with the smithy, we set to and reproduced new ones. They may look rustic, but they work. Anyway, after the battle when we'd finally managed to chase the last of the marauders from our lands with their tails tucked firmly between their legs, we discovered Daniel. He was badly wounded trying to defend Lydia's honour. Nick managed to kill the SOB before he could assault his mother further, but it was too late for our poor Daniel. He died of his wounds the next day, and the whole village went into mourning for their teacher as they always referred to him. Yes, Daniel organised a school for the children and taught them all they needed to know, as well as the history of the village. He was greatly loved by all. We went into mourning for a whole week, though it took Lydia and the boys much, much longer than even Jack and I. Even now it is still hard to comprehend and harder still to move on with our lives. For Jack it was even longer; as such good friends they had always been very close. He said it was like losing Charlie all over again, and it was painful to watch him suffer the loss of another loved one.**_

_**Our children, Grace and Jake, have grown up now. Jack and I have a fantastic grandson that is named after Daniel, though Gracie calls him Dannel, which is what the villagers called our Daniel. Dannel will be seven soon. Gracie met and married a lovely man; Keivan is so good to her and dotes on Dannel. He and Jack get on well together too, despite him giving Keivan the third degree when he announced that he wanted to take Gracie as his wife. Jack was so protective of her which annoyed her a great deal and sometimes the sparks did fly between them. Not that it happens so much now though, not now she is married and I'm happy to say that harmony reigns in our house once more. Jack now focuses all his attentions on Dannel and the boy just adores his Grandfather. Oh and Jake's wife is expecting soon too, early next year. He and his wife, Jenna are so excited, though I doubt that they are more so than Jack is. He can't wait for more grandchildren. **_

Grogan groaned loudly when he discovered that the entries had stopped yet again. He flicked forward and found yet another handwriting, one he could barely make out; its scrawling script hurried and shaky.

_**April 2037, I suppose, going by Sam's calculations, and Daniel's too. Ex USAF Colonel Jack O'Neill here to jot down the events of the last few months or years - whatever. I'm only doing this because I feel that Daniel would have wanted me to carry this on. I'm not much good at writing these things. I've always hated filling in those damned reports. So... where to begin...?**_

TBC


	6. Chapter 6 The Final Meeting

_I do beg your forgiveness for the long delay in posting this next chapter of the story. Life has been hectic and kinda weird, too! Every time I sat down to finish this, something else cropped up. It frustrated me, so I can only guess as to how irritating it must have been for you. Sorry. The good news is that the next chapter is all ready to go to so I'll be posting that tomorrow... come hell or high water, which after last years flood fiasco, I'm keeping my fingers crossed we don't have another storm that bad! _

_Knowing the content of this and the next chapter, I'll let you digest this one first as it's rather sad._

**I'll also give you a heads up on this chapter by issuing a TISSUE WARNING!!!!** Character death in this chapter.

**Remains of the Day.**

Author: Lingren.

_Previously:_

_**April 2037, I guess, going by Sam's calculations and Daniel's too. Ex Colonel Jack O'Neill here to jot down the events of the last few months or years - whatever. I'm only doing this because I feel that Daniel would have wanted me to carry on with this. I'm not much good at writing these things. I've always hated filling in reports. So... where to begin....**_

**Chapter 6** **– The Final Meeting**

_**I guess I should start with the facts, though I still can't believe it's happened. My beloved Sam, the woman who bore all my grievances with something akin to angelic proportions, is gone. I keep looking for her when I get home, expecting her to meet me at the door as she always did to welcome me home. Not that I go out much these days – it's hard to come home to an empty house. Dannel insists on taking me out and about in my wheelchair each day for a short while, seeing as I'm way too old and decrepit to use the crutches any more, thanks to this damn wooden peg hurts like the devil if I try to walk on it. Dannel keeps telling me I'm past it anyway; cheeky bugger! God! I'd be so totally lost without my kids around me. **_

_**So, back to the point of this exercise... I'm gonna try and fill in the blanks now that time has moved on yet again. Sam.... God, she was way too busy to add any more to this journal, what with the new grand-baby around and all ... and then she got real sick. Too sick to fight it. She knew she was dying of course long before I finally twigged on. Goddamn stubborn woman never said a damn word about it until then. Never complained about feeling ill or being in constant pain, either. God, she must have suffered a lot before she couldn't hide it from me any longer. Without the proper medical care and attention she would have had back on Earth, and which she needed so desperately, she said it was pointless in worrying me. We don't have any such medicines here to fight it, and she was so certain it was breast cancer. That appalling disease has a habit of doing that. It snuck up on us so damn quick that I had barely come to terms with her having it before she was gone. Damn, I miss her so much that it hurts as much as losing Charlie did! Did I mention that I miss her? Maybe back home there is a cure for it now, but it's too late.**_

_**What I can't believe, is that I've survived the longest out of the four of us. Me, the weakest, the oldest... okay, so there was Teal'c, but he was a Jaffa, so he doesn't really count. So, as I said, Me! The senior one! Even after those bastards practically severed my foot! I felt sure I was a goner back then. I was the weakest, physically, for cryin' out loud, and yet I managed to outlast the lot of them . Funny really that the strongest one among us, my old friend, Teal'c, was the first among us to die. **_

_**I feel the emptiness even now, and mostly these days I just sit around and wait for the end. Hell, I've outlived my wife, which I had no intention of doing, by the way. And I know I've outlived my life! God! I miss her so much. It's hard to believe I'm around 84 now, going by Daniel's calendar that he created. I miss him, too. Sweet Jesus, I just wanna be with Sam, not stuck here being a burden to everyone. The only thing I have that actually keeps me here – and sane – are my kids. If it wasn't for them, I would have joined Sam right after her death.**_

Grogan smiled sadly as he finished the entry for that month, it certainly sounded like the Colonel O'Neill he remembered. He flicked over the next pages but they remained stubbornly blank. He skipped forwards eagerly, surprised when yet another style of writing filled the following pages.

_**According to my Grandfather, Jack O'Neill of Earth, the date today should be somewhere around 2039, and it's Christmas. I, am Dannel. I finally got Grampa to admit he can no longer hold a pen with which to write.**_

_**Therefore, my he has bidden me to write things here to inform you, the reader - whoever you are, of how things have been. As I write this he is resting. He has charged me with keeping this journal safe until someone comes, if ever, from his own world, Earth, and that I have earnestly promised him that I will give them to whosoever comes. Whenever that may be, should it happen after his passing, but I will ensure that those persons should return them to the place of his team's home base if it is still in existence. Of course, we don't know if there ever will be a visitor from Earth but Grandfather, as always, is ever hopeful. **_

_**He has often told us of the deep yearning he felt, desperately wanting to return to Earth but as the months dragged by into years, the longing abated, finally giving in to whatever fate had otherwise decreed. Granma wanted to go home in the beginning, too, and apparently it took her a long time to get used to being here, but then they both realised the futility of what might never happen. That's is when Grampa and Granma decided that they could finally be together. It is so strange, and I think horrible too, to think that the Air Force they once belonged to would not allow them to be with each other. They were absolutely devoted to each other. That was the turning point at which they both settled down at last... much to the relief of uncle Daniel, and the friend they called, Teal'c. Grampa talks about him a lot and I have wished, on many occasions, that the warrior could have lived longer so that I may have gotten to know him. I am sure he would have been fun to be with. Grampa says that "T" loved Gracie and Jake as if they were his own children, and had regrets that he'd never get to see his son Ry'ac again. The gentle giant, as my mother always referred to him as, particularly regretted that he was unable to see his son grow up to become a great warrior under Master Bra'tac's tutelage. **_

_**Closer to home, our beloved patriarch grows weaker by the day, though, as stubborn as always, he won't admit that to anyone; but I know him so well. I will sorely miss him when he goes, as will the whole village. He is the most revered and honourable man of our village and is loved by all, I don't think there is one person in the whole area that does not adore and respect Grandfather. I, and all the villagers will never forget him or his wonderful stories so full of the adventures that he and my grandmother, along with Daniel, my namesake, and the warrior Teal'c, had when they were a team from a distant planet called Earth, and referred to as SG-1. **_

_**He's reminding me, yet again, that it's almost time to gather round the tree for our time of giving. Grampa will be the playing the "Santa" of course, he always does, and every child in the village will receive a small gift from him. Uncle Jake and I worked in the barn to make them this year as grampa could no longer hold the tools. Before he grew too old, he would spend hours out there making toys from the wood and Granma would stitch clothes for the dolls. Daniel would help and often painted the gifts with colours he'd created to make them look really wonderful. **_

_**Today, he will tell us more stories as we sit around the glowing fire after the Christmas feast, and even the adults will listen to his words despite their familiarity. Though his voice is now dulled with age, he still holds everyone's full attention. For the last few weeks I have often wondered if this will be his last Christmas or if he will surprise us by living for another year, and, although I hate to admit it, I doubt it very much. **_

Grogan sighed with a warm fuzzy feeling of relief when the writing came to a stop. This last passage was written just a few months ago and now they would never be finished. He had the books now and he could take them home and the mystery of the missing SG-1; the legend of the greatest team ever, could finally be laid to rest. He lowered the last book down with a smile, and looked up to find his team eyeing him with suspicion. He glanced at his watch; he'd been reading for three hours. Now consumed with the desire to see Jack O'Neill again, he quickly explained everything to his team.

Several minutes later he was hurrying off to see the Captain, leaving his team to prepare for another unscheduled mission.

"I was just coming to find you Colonel!" the Captain said with a grin as they met up outside the bridge. "The engines are all fixed and we'll be able to leave in a few minutes, Colonel."

"No! I'm sorry, but we can't leave here just yet! I have to go back to see the old man! We've just discovered who these people really are! Can you communicate with our home-world, now?"

"Of course. That's all be fixed as well...."

"Good then you can tell the General that we've finally located the last member of the missing SG-1."

The Captain's eyebrows rose in surprise at the news. "You... you have? Here? Who? Teal'c?"

"No. Colonel O'Neill. Look, I have to go now. The old man was dying. I need to see him. I'll fill you in later.

"We'll probably be about another two or three hours." Grogan called back over his shoulder, already down the corridor.

* * *

The team of four hurried from the spacecraft for a second time and practically ran all the way back to the village. At the same time, Grogan couldn't help but hope that Jack would still be alive when he reached his destination.

Without preamble he entered the house to a pleasantly surprised Dannel.

All those little references; the interest in what had happened to those back home; his curiosity and tears for General Hammond's unhappy end. It all meant something to him because of who he really was; this old man was none other than the former Colonel Jack O'Neill. A living legend. Just.

Grogan confronted the young man, belatedly noticing the tears in his eyes.

"Is he, okay?" he demanded gently.

Dannel nodded and pointed to his Grandfather's cot, where they could make out Gracie's figure in the growing darkness, sitting on the edge while holding Jack's limp hand in hers.

"He's happier now you've been here. He feels at peace knowing that people back home on Earth will understand what happened to them," Dannel sighed with a heavy heart. His beloved grampa was dying.

Grogan walked slowly up to the cot followed by a saddened team, and Gracie made room for the Colonel without letting go of her father's frail hand.

"Colonel O'Neill, Sir!" Grogan began and was rewarded by a lazy eye opening and a wry smile appearing on Jack's lips.

"Grogan," Jack said, smirking weakly, "Still getting shot at?" he asked with a wheezy laugh.

"Yes, Sir!" he replied with a wide grin. By now his team had followed him into the room and stood close behind him as he knelt down beside the bed for closer contact.

Grogan laid a hand lightly onto Jack's arm, letting him know he was there for him.

"I'm sorry," Jack gasped breathlessly.

"There's no need for that, Sir. It wasn't your fault! None of this was due to anything you did."

"I shouldn't have..."

"No, Sir. You did your best. Just as you always did. You were missed by everyone, Colonel. There's a memorial statue in Arlington, Sir, dedicated to you and your team. The Stargate's secret was finally revealed to the world after the Goa'uld were defeated; especially the part that you and your team had played in the battle against them. You and the rest of SG-1 are the world's heroes, Colonel. All the kids in schools around the globe learn about your exploits. You'll never be forgotten, Sir. **I'll** never forget you... and nor will they. We cannot hope to follow your reputation, Sir. None of us could live up to that, but we can only try. You set us a really hard task in filling those boots of yours, Colonel, Sir. We don't come anywhere near the mark nor can we fill the gap you left behind."

Jack clasped his hand in as strong a grip as he could manage, though Grogan barely felt it.

"Thank you. You're a good kid, Grogan. Ya turned out okay! And thank you for telling me that the Goa'uld have been defeated. At least, I can now die with a clear conscience." He paused, panting heavily, breathless from the exertion of actually speaking.

They all watched as Jack closed his eyes, and his breath faltered in his lungs, but he clung to his life and surprised them all when he sucked in a breath and opened his dark eyes once again.

"I'm glad it was you who came, son; I've always wondered what had happened to the likes of you, Satterfield, Elliot and Hailey especially," he wheezed. "Tessa! I missed our little fun games together. I'm sorry about your Gramps, but I know he'd be real proud of you, if he could see you right now."

Tessa sniffed back her emotions and put on a brave though wobbly smile. "I really missed you. Cassie and Kayla did too. But, don't be sad, Uncle Jack. Gramps left no stone unturned to find you. He was really very fond of you and the others. The doctors said it was only a matter of time, anyway. He'd outlived his time at the SGC."

While Grogan waited for Tessa to finish talking, he watched Jack in amazement. Unable to get over the idea that he'd remembered them all. It was astonishing that such an old man had recalled those days so clearly enough as to recall their names. He shook his head, but smiled at the old man he now wished he'd gotten to know better when he had the chance.

"Hailey's a General now, Sir. She's still working with alien technology. She runs area 51 who are still trying to find new sources of energy, mainly for the Alpha and Beta sites. We often get together to chat over old times. She still remembers you and Major Carter, too. Lisa's aunt."

Jack nodded almost imperceptibly, and smiled, too weak to answer in any other way.

Gracie turned to the Major.

"My mother, your auntie Sam, really missed you and your brother growing up. I guess that makes us cousins. I'm glad that I finally got to meet you. Mother would have been so proud to know you followed in her footsteps into Astrophysics, too, and especially into SG-1. She often reminisced about Uncle Mark and her father Jacob and... home."

Jack nodded again, taking one last look at all of them standing round his bed and sighed.

"Loved all you kids!" he sighed, then gasped out in surprise. Wide eyed and now smiling with pure contentment and unsurpassed love, he called out," I'm coming Ssssaaaammmmm!" It was his final breath, and he died with the name of his beloved wife upon his lips.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7 The Legend Lives On

_Well, here it is as promised...._** the final chapter...** _at long last I hear you say! LOL!_ _I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for sticking with me and reading this and especially those who reviewed. You comments have always meant a great deal to me I know I mentioned that I was giving up on writing for a while but don't despair - I'm still dabbling here and there and I may finish my epic at some stage. Also that there are still an awful lot of fics that I've written that have yet to be posted on here. Thanks for all your support, and patience, Lin._

**Remains of the Day.**

Author: Lingren.

_Previously:_

"Loved all you kids!" he sighed, then gasped out in surprise. Wide eyed and now smiling with pure contentment and unsurpassed love, he called out," I'm coming Ssssaaaammmmm!" It was his final breath, and he died with the name of his beloved wife upon his lips.

**Chapter 7 – The Legend Lives On!**

Grogan gulped down the lump that had lodged in his throat, and when he turned to his team, he noticed that there wasn't a dry eye among them. His hand found its way to Gracie's shoulder and she nodded to him, too choked to utter an intelligible sound. She patted Grogan's hand in response, telling him his offer of comfort was gratefully accepted.

Gracie then moved her hand to rest lightly on her father's cheek, and Grogan finally stood, ushering his team away to give her and Dannel some privacy.

He and his team were about to leave the room quietly and they did so, although he silently nodded to Lisa, tacitly allowing her to stay behind for a few minutes. These people were a part of her family and she needed to talk things over with Gracie.

Grogan herded the others out then shook hands with a tearful Dannel at the door. After that they left them to mourn a great man who was indeed a true hero in every sense of the word for a while, promising to return after a short while. They would stay here on the planet until a link could be forged with these people. Some of whom were the offspring of Daniel Jackson, too. They would see about setting up a Stargate so that communication would be readily available at any given time. There was much to discuss and much to do in order that SG-1 would in some small way remain connected with Earth.

* * *

Lisa had lingered, thankfully accepting the unspoken offer from her CO. These people were indeed part of her family. Regretfully one part that she hadn't known, but that didn't matter. She took a few tentative steps towards Gracie and held out her hand to touch the woman's shoulder. Looking up, Gracie saw the deep sorrow and regret etched in Lisa's face and stood up to face her. They embraced, letting the years of ignorance about each other fall away as they became united in their grief. Gracie may have lost her father, but she had also found the family she had only heard about in her parents' stories of the old life.

Eventually Gracie pulled away and just held onto Lisa's hands. "Will you ever return, Lisa? Will you promise to come see us whenever it is possible?" Gracie asked, hoping that the slightly older woman would answer positively.

Lisa smiled and nodded, still choking back tears. "I will... if you promise that someday you will come home to Earth. Even if it's for a short visit. I'm sure that your father would rest in peace if he knew you had seen his old home-world at least once in your lifetime. You and the others would always be welcome there. At any time. Please say you will?"

Gracie chuckled, pulling Lisa into another hug. "Of course. Papa would like that, very much. Thank you!"

Lisa turned to look down at the pale shell that had been her uncle by marriage, and sighed with regret. She wished she had known him sooner. From odd snatches of conversations between her father and Aunt Sam she had heard his name mentioned several times, but she was too young then, to understand what it was they were talking about.

Gracie watched her for a moment, before adding, "He's happy now. He's with Mama again. And with Teal'c and Daniel, too. He never asked for more... they were a team in more ways than was believed possible."

"And they'll live on. For always!" Lisa said before recalling her duties. Grogan was waiting, as were the Captain and the crew, as well as the General back at the SGC, all of whom were probably champing at the bit for information. All of them had been eager to return home, but things had radically changed now. "I'll have to go back for a while, but I promise I'll come back as soon as we've discussed all of this with our superiors. Now that we know their final resting place I'm sure you will get many visitors arriving in search of seeing where they lived out the rest of their lives... and mostly in peace. I'm almost certain that some 'big-wigs' will call by, if only to make things... more official," she said with a laugh. "Your future here is secure now that you are so closely linked to us and the people of Earth."

Gracie nodded. "Thank you. I am sure that we can come to some arrangement with the 'top-brass' as Papa always called them."

"Take care, Gracie. I have to go and you have... things to sort out. I hope to see you all again soon. Bye!" They embraced once more for the final time and then Lisa made her way out to join the others who were waiting for her at a discreet distance away.

The village had fallen quiet, save for a single bell that mow mournfully tolled somewhere in the distance, spreading the sad news. It seemed like the whole community were in mourning for the most upstanding citizen whom they had now lost.

* * *

Back at the spacecraft once more and waiting for the President and the Joint Chiefs to come to some agreement and arrangements, Grogan took the books aside and lifted his pen to his lips in thought, opening to the very last blank page of the last book, he neatly wrote the closing chapter in a story that was a legend in itself.

_**This is the final chapter in the story of a team who more than deserved the honorific designation of legendary. SG-1, the original team were a legend in our lifetime and it is with great honour that I have been able to pen the conclusion of the mystery that surrounded their disappearance. Contained in these few precious journals is the solution that many have searched in vain for... this is their story.**_

_**February 2040 Colonel Grogan, USAF.**_

_**We, on board the 'Enterprise', we forced to make an unscheduled stop for repairs on this, so far unexplored, planet. A place of lush green pastures. Grazing cattle, and sheep-like animals. A veritable paradise to those who live here. A beautiful world where we, SG-1 mark 3, discovered a quaint village of friendly natives who had for many years harboured a secret through their isolation, and not by choice. There is no Stargate here, so this paradise has been a haven of happiness and tranquillity to the weary travellers who happened upon them out of the blue. **_

_**After meeting with the most revered village elder I have ever met in my journeys off-world, I was handed several volumes of handwritten notes. Upon reading through those notes, when I returned to the ship, I discovered the truth within those pages. They were these very same journals which had belonged to the revered Dr. Daniel Jackson, who had written clearly and precisely of the very incidents that had held the SGC - and the world at large - in puzzlement for almost 40 years. It has lifted the burden of not knowing the how and why of what happened to the that missing team, and revealed the tragedy that befell our very own heroes. **_

_**I was graciously privileged to finally meet up with Colonel Jack O'Neill, myself. He was the lone survivor of that, much speculated about, team. He was living here among the natives, stranded many, many years ago with no hope of ever returning to Earth. **_

_**Revered and respected by the native people and dearly loved by the family he'd never imagined having, he died this day a happy man; guilt free at last, knowing that the story of his team's disappearance could now be told. **_

_**I will always treasure the memory of our last meeting and lay this book to rest now that the final chapter is written. Though the legend of those four members, forever to be known as SG-1, will now live on in eternity.**_

_**Signed, Colonel Stewart Grogan. USAF. Soon to be retired.**_

Grogan closed the book at last, filled with sadness and yet fond memories, too. Reading through those pages was almost like being there. He shared their suffering. The sadness and joys that they went through were his.

It was the end for the members of the legendary SG-1 as he remembered it. The names of course would always live on, the history books would ensure that, and these books would do so as well. His own memories of them would of course recall them as being youthful and energetic. He well remembered the Colonel and his infamous sarcastic wit, now somewhat eroded over the last years of his life to reveal the softer man inside. The one he knew had to exist somewhere inside the somewhat cynical, seasoned senior officer.

This had been Grogan's very last mission. His retirement loomed large and unavoidable. He had given his life to the USAF and to upholding the safety of Earth. He just wished he'd had a loving family and friends as close as Jack O'Neill had, and he knew that his stint as leader of SG-1 would never be remembered as well as that of the great man himself.

He couldn't, wouldn't, forget them and, armed with these books, he would make damn sure that the whole world would remember the writers. Their history should never be forgotten. He would make damn sure of that.

Through years of mystery until finally the truth, the team would live again. He could not imagine a more fitting end to the legend that was SG-1.

The End.


End file.
